blog

No expectations, no limitations, This is where craft and curiosity collide. I create my world of sound & sight.

Every week I drop ten tracks you probably haven’t heard of, show a glimpse of what I uncover as I document my life in CDMX, and highlight other artists I’m tuned in to.

The Chris mix

This week’s tracklist is like when you first open up a jigsaw puzzle and lay out all the pieces; they don’t look at like they go together. TBH there was no way I could find a well crafted order to have a smooth transition between tracks from start to finish. But nonetheless, there are songs to add to your summer playlist, your workout playlist, or study playlist.

I started diving into Ethiopian Jazz back in March and I loved it so much that I was so close to buying either a saxophone or flute and learn to play it so I could attempt having even an ounce of sound similar to Getatchew Mekurya or American Jazz artist Yusuf Lateef. Then by the time Earth Day came, I was microdosing mushrooms daily and I learned to begin embracing the cringe. I would be at coffee shops working and and when I took my break I would stand outside singing songs as if it was karaoke, I would skip often whenever walking got boring, and generally be more expressive with my body. I collected a handful of jazz tracks that I would constantly play during that phase of my life (and from time to time) so decided to add some this week. Its wild to think that their musical ability to play their instruments conveys so much more emotion than what a voice could do within a duration of a song.

Of course, I had to throw in some club music into the mix as well. If there is anything that I will be consistent on with the Chris Mix, there will high energy to balance the low/soft energy.

Documenting Mexico CIty

There’s a lot competing for your attention the moment you enter CDMX. The biggest standout is usually the smell of food on any street (considering Mexican cuisine is recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity). It’s so strong (in the best way) that it often masks the smaller details that gives the city character. This is what I live for.

There is nothing more intoxicating than curiosity and its natural effect of desire. To contextualize the small details. Its a slippery slope that I also dread reaching because I know it usually ends when I find the person responsible for their work I find in public cus like, the reality is I am just a stranger to them that might compliment their work, so a fan nonetheless. There will always be beauty in mystery, whether you pursue answers or not.

All that to say that while I’ve been commuting throughout the city, I document the street art I find. I literally stop every time I see someone’s work on a wall. I’ll spend an unreasonable amount of time in front of the same wall because often times there is a lot placed on one wall. But I also stand there asking myself: How did they place it up there? What time of the day/night was it? Do you come by from time to time to see it? Are they watching me right now admiring their work?

I think about how a creative person can think in a way to produce something like this. Simplifying someone’s artistic magic by pointing out that it’s just a caption with a picture only reveals a person with no eye for details. In this case art is like food; It should be consumed the way it was prepared, because they made it the way they wanted to serve it. They could have given you the list of all the ingredients to make it yourself, but you wouldn’t have the same outcome. Besides, you would’ve stayed home if you were really looking to do it yourself.

My favorite piece I encountered so far was in front of Cineteca National. In the mix of all the various art was a mirror at face level. From a distance it seems to be a hole in the wall, or a window to look through into another world, but once I got closer I realized I was looking at myself. The size was small for only my big head to fit, so this idea of appreciation for oneself that we are a beautiful work of art worthy of attention was only experienced if you stopped what you were doing and walk up to it. Along with political and existential art pieces on the wall, it was the assembly of all of those pieces that could give the mirror this effect.

I find street art that has no call to action (no IG handle, QR code, or website) most whimsical cus like I wanna know who is trying to give me this message, it makes me smile, but mostly wonder what pushed someone to relay a message with no sender. There’s one I found in Bosque de Chapultepec as I went looking for two perfect trees to set my hammock at and it was a picture of a smiling bunny captioned “CALLATE PENDEJO” (shut up dumbass in Spanish).

(On the food tangent) It’s interesting how food doesn’t last as long as humans do, but food can be timeless and outlast any famous person we may know of. But it’s the hands that create, the mind that innovates, and voice that passes the knowledge for it to become timeless. The art transcends and society holds it up on a pedestal that the creator’s name can be often times lost and detached so it is important for creators to credit themselves. If not with their name, at least with a signature.

The point in tryna make is that outside of Mexico’s iconic food, that passion that drives its cuisine is apparent in other outlets, more specifically, the expressive street art that literally surrounds CDMX. It’s the idea behind Birdman’s iconic outburst on The Breakfast Club or the film Coco and the idea of the importance of recognizing one’s name. Cus character can’t exist without being attached to someone with a passion. Put some respect on your name and stand on the things you do. Even if you’re wrong, own up to your mistakes. Kinda like how I made the mistake of writing this blog post more of a stream of consciousness rather than a traditional article.

Artist in focus

Once I get further into blogging everything I’ll get to a point where I will remember how I first heard/seen someone’s work, but I don’t remember how I seen this artist’s work. It might have been when I first moved to CDMX and I was scouring Instagram to find all the exciting stuff that I’ve been getting myself into recently. The only downside to exploring social media is that many times you wont be able to find an actual name to artists. In this case, this graffiti artist goes by @plas.tiko but his tags usually have FUCK LA CHOTA as an indicating name. His style is uniquely his though so its like remembering someone by their face and not their name when you been recently acquainted.

His talent proceeds him because he has been hired to design posters, magazine, music covers, and has even had his own solo art shows. What makes it so ironic is that his artwork has is being displayed on a poster of an art event approved by the State Secretary of Culture. Just watch his Instagram video I embedded here and you’ll see how he orchestrates his work into a chaotically poetic experience. He clearly loves what he does because it shows through his talent and there is not one video he makes where he isn’t dancing after creating a piece.

His videos give similar vibes of Joji’s music video of Glimpse of Us and is probably why he chose the song too; imagery of youthful recklessness fueled by passion for unfiltered self expression. This is what we all look for and want, or maybe its a few people. Just remember self identity through expression is not a destination you reach to find everything you are looking for, but a never ending journey that can only be continued knowing that you must routinely fuel up enough to make it to the next pit stop.

After meeting him at the event, I picked up his latest shirt and some stickers. I kinda got caught up with exploring a new place I haven’t been to, meeting other artists and skating the park that I didn’t even check out the live graffiti PLASTIKO was spraying that day. I did get a chance to briefly chat with him at his table and he noticed I had now of his lesser liked artworks as my wallpaper. He said it wasn’t as popular because everyone likes his cartoonish figures he makes.

Check out his IG for all of his insane work.